Skip to content

Category: NaBloPoMo

Book Review: Mostly Mittens

Published 14 November, 2010

Wow, I saved today’s post till the last minute, quite by accident. I got a little lost in the Department of Mysteries and before I knew it, it was 6:30 and I realized I hadn’t posted. I had wanted to come in here showing off my finished cardigan for my mom, but that Ministry of Magic is a bit of a maze…

So instead, I’m sharing with you a book review. As long-time readers will know, I’m a little… shall we say “obsessed” with mittens. Especially colorwork mittens. And I still don’t own any (but they’re on the schedule!). However, Charlene Schurch (of Sensational Knitted Socks fame) reissued her Mostly Mittens: Ethnic Knitting Designs from Russia (Martingale, 2009) last year and it’s a wonderful source of mitten inspiration. {read more}

Continue ReadingBook Review: Mostly Mittens
4 Comments

Holiday crafting

Published 13 November, 2010

Christmas is just a few weeks away, and if you’re not quite into the Christmas spirit, well I can’t blame you. We still have Thanksgiving to go, and if your job is like mine, you might be a little overwhelmed with all the stuff that has to happen before the end of the year.

That said, I’ve seen a bunch of patterns popping up lately that make me more excited about the holiday season. {read more}

Continue ReadingHoliday crafting
2 Comments

Designer Profile: Tiny Owl Knits

Published 11 November, 2010

Supposedly, we’re getting snow today. The first snow of Fall, and I really, really hope it comes. Aside from the fact that snow is definitely a knitter-friendly occurrence, there’s still a magical aspect to snow for me. (Yes, I have only lived in a place where snow is a frequent happening for a year and I’ve yet to have to shovel snow, but whatever, I love it.)

Snow makes me think of wistfully sipping tea while sitting on a window seat, watching the flakes pile up against the glass; bright red cardinals silhouetted against dark branches and blindingly white skies; warm, cozy sweaters and colorful galoshes. In my mind, snow equals whimsy and joy, much like the designs that come from Stephanie Dosen of tiny owl knits. {read more}

Continue ReadingDesigner Profile: Tiny Owl Knits
10 Comments

Knitting Scholar

Published 9 November, 2010

As part of my efforts to make NaBloPoMo actually happen here, I created a general outline and in some cases, assigned certain topics to certain days of the week. Wednesdays will always be Wordless Wednesdays, which is a general trend among the internet anyway. Fridays are for Friday Finds, which will hopefully continue after November is over. I’m hoping to dedicate Sundays to showing finished projects or works in progress. And Tuesday I had designated as Book Review Days.

The problem, though, is that I was out of town this weekend and haven’t had time to peruse my bookshelf and thoroughly review a book. But yesterday, I stumbled across a site that does this for me!

Continue ReadingKnitting Scholar
Leave a Comment

Demystifying the Tubular Bind-Off

Published 8 November, 2010

As I discussed yesterday, I experimented with the bind-off for my toe-up socks with a tubular bind-off. I’d previously read about the technique but I hadn’t actually tried it.

That was just silly. This cast-off is so easy. The secret to the tubular bind-off is that in the end, it’s really just grafting. That’s right, if you can Kitchener stitch your top-down sock toes, you can work a tubular bind-off.

Continue ReadingDemystifying the Tubular Bind-Off
2 Comments